Intellectual Property Law Commons^™

“This Artwork Is Always On Sale”: The Need For A U.S. Resale Royalty Right For Digital Visual Artists In This Technological Age, And Proof Of Concept Through The Blockchain And Nfts Explosion, Janae Camacho

Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts

With the explosion of the internet, social media, non-fungible tokens (“NFTs”), and blockchain technology, there has been a shift in how people consume and commercialize art, thus resulting in the increased use of digital visual mediums to create, purchase, and receive payment for visual artwork. This increase has renewed the question of whether the United States should implement a resale royalty right for visual work artists. This question is of concern, especially in this digital age where it has become more difficult for digital visual artists to receive equitable compensation for their work, like that of their musical and written …

Nonobvious Design, Mark Bartholomew

Journal Articles

To earn patent protection, a claimed product design must be “nonobvious.” Yet while nonobviousness has been described as “the heart” and “cornerstone” of the utility patent system, in the design patent context, the term has become next to useless. Instead of actually policing nonobviousness in design, modern courts grant patent rights to any work that is not an exact replica of another. The problem, judges maintain, is that comparing one visual design against another demands the use of aesthetic judgment and aesthetic judgment is an instinctual, subjective process incapable of legal definition. Recent neuroscientific studies of aesthetic judgment dispel some …

Albrecht Durer's Enforcement Actions: A Trademark Origin Story, Peter J. Karol

Law Faculty Scholarship

This article offers a trademark-framed reappraisal of a pair of extraordinary enforcement actions brought by the Northern Renaissance artist Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) against copyists of his work. These cases have long been debated by art, cultural, and copyright historians insofar as they appear to reject Durer's demand for protocopyright protection. Commentators have also contested the historicity of one of the two narratives. But surprisingly little attention has been paid by trademark scholars to the companion holdings-in the same texts-that affirm Durer's right to prevent the use of his monogram on unauthorized reproductions. This article seeks to fill that gap by …

Intellectual Property And The Politics Of Public Good In Covid-19: Framing Law, Institutions, And Ideas During Trips Waiver Negotiations At The Wto, Sara E. Fischer, Lucia Vitale, Akinyi Lisa Agutu, Matthew M. Kavanagh

O'Neill Institute Papers

Context: To facilitate the manufacturing of COVID-19 medical products, in October 2020, India and South Africa proposed a waiver of certain WTO intellectual property (IP) provisions. After 18 months, a narrow agreement that did little for vaccine access passed the ministerial, despite the pandemic’s impact on global trade, which the WTO is mandated to safeguard.

Methods: The authors conducted a content analysis of WTO legal texts, key actor statements, media reporting, and the WTO’s procedural framework to explore legal, institutional, and ideational explanations for the delay.

Findings: IP waivers are neither legally complex nor unprecedented within WTO …

Google Llc V. Oracle America, Inc., Elizabeth Spica

Tennessee Law Review

No abstract provided.

Ethics In Kakadu (1988): Finding Djilile’S “True Tracks”, Natasia T. Boyko

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tasmanian-born Peter Sculthorpe (1929 – 2014) was one of Australia’s most iconic modernist classical composers of the twentieth century. Kakadu (1988) seems to have sparked the most controversy of Sculthorpe’s works and has become one of his most well-known pieces. In the program notes provided in the score’s foreword, Sculthorpe asserts that “the melodic material in Kakadu, as in much of my recent music, was suggested by the contours and rhythms of Aboriginal chant.” Sculthorpe attributed this melodic material to the Arnem Land chant, Djilile. Consequently, Sculthorpe has been criticized for extracting Djilile from its authentic context as …

The Case Of The Missing Device Patents, Or: Why Device Patents Matter, Erika Lietzan, Kristina M.L. Acri, Evan Weidner

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

A company that earns premarket approval of its medical device is entitled to an extension of one patent claiming the device, to make up for some of the time it spent doing premarket research. Yet, surprisingly, a mere thirteen percent of those eligible for this extension (also known as patent term “restoration”) ask for one. In contrast, most drug companies entitled to this same patent extension ask for one. In this Article, we attribute the imbalance largely to differences between the two regulatory frameworks. In brief, because the FDA classifies and regulates devices based on what they do and how …

Minerva I Am Not – The Materially Broader Claim Standard And Assignor Estoppel, David R. Soucy Esq.

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

No abstract provided.

Masthead, Lead Article Editor

Catholic University Journal of Law and Technology

No abstract provided.

Middleware Technologies: Towards User-Determined News Curation In Social Media, Jose M. Marella

Catholic University Journal of Law and Technology

News distribution and consumption now largely occur within, and are subject to dynamics dictated by, social media platforms. Platforms create audiences, facilitate matching, provide basic services, and set interaction standards. But these networks are structured to maximize engagement and benefit the platforms’ main businesses, leaving individuals with little to no ability to tailor news consumption according to their preferences.

To re-orient platform-dictated dynamics towards user-determined exchanges, middleware technologies—software services appended to social media platforms to curate information flows—are touted as a promising solution. Still, not enough literature articulates middleware’s virtues and hurdles, especially in the context of online news. This …

Swipe Right Into A Disciplinary Hearing: How The Use Of Dating Apps Could Earn An Attorney More Than A Bad First Date, Zachary S. Aman

Catholic University Journal of Law and Technology

The Model Rules of Professional Conduct seek to police the conduct of attorneys. Each jurisdiction adopts its own rules of professional conduct to apply to the attorneys licensed within it. Notably, the model rules prohibit any sexual relationship between the attorney and client unless that relationship precedes the attorney-client relationship. Traditionally, defining a "sexual relationship" was simple, particularly if the attorney and client engaged in sexual intercourse. The introduction of dating apps, however, has blurred the line.

This article outlines the inherent risks of attorneys using dating apps at a time when most newly-licensed attorneys make up the majority of …

Establishing The Legal Framework To Regulate Quantum Computing Technology, Kaya Derose

Catholic University Journal of Law and Technology

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents, Lead Article Editor

Catholic University Journal of Law and Technology

No abstract provided.

Rule 4(K)(2) And The Online Marketplace: An Efficient And Constitutional Route To Personal Jurisdiction Over Foreign Merchants Of Counterfeits, Taylor J. Pollier

Duquesne Law Review

The online marketplace has exploded as an efficient way for U.S. consumers to get the goods they need and want delivered directly to their doors. At the same time, the prevalence of counterfeit goods offered for sale on those marketplaces has grown. Companies in the United States that own the intellectual property rights to products being counterfeited online often use various methods to stop the infringement before court intervention is necessary. Ultimately, however, those companies may need to sue the infringing party to enforce their rights. Without the 1993 addition of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 4(k)(2), that would not …

Blank Space: The Legal Gray Area Created By Police Abuse Of Copyright Law, Connor Druhan

Loyola University Chicago Law Journal

Music, a universal language sung and heard around the world, is a powerful force for bringing people together. It is also afforded a great deal of protection under United States copyright law. As the way we listen to music has evolved throughout history, so too have the ways that laws protect the rights of musicians and entertainers. However, due to the changing technological landscape and our methods for protecting music, law enforcement officials have found a loophole at the intersection of copyright law, free speech, and the tools we use to enforce the rights of copyright holders. The Digital Millennium …

Welcome To Web 3.0: A Reevaluation Of Music Licensing And Consumption To Level The Payment Imbalance For Songwriters, Chelsea Cohen

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

For decades, songwriters have been short changed in their music royalties and copyright splits. This Note explores the historical inequity between songwriters and their counterparts—labels and recording artists—in royalty receipts, and potential methods by which this wrong may be righted in the next iteration of the internet, Web 3.0. Battles of the past can serve as a frame of reference in evaluating how songwriters will be compensated in Web 3.0. Tech companies cannot have a free pass to disregard licensing laws in the name of fast profits. This Note analyzes how music will be consumed and profited off of in …

Formula Unjust: What Formula One Can Learn From The American Justice System To Improve Stewarding, Apratim Vidyarthi

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Formula One (F1), the highest form of motorsport, is one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States, attracting millions of viewers and billions of dollars in investment and prize money. But recent events in F1 have raised questions about the fairness of the sport. This Article contends that the current system of officiating creates unfair outcomes, because officials have overwhelming discretion to make pivotal decisions that significantly impact the outcome of races, and because penalties are applied inconsistently and cannot be appealed. Given the increased professionalization of F1 and the high financial stakes involved, these problems need to be …

Generative And Ai Authored Artworks And Copyright Law, Michael D. Murray

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

No abstract provided.

The Free Exercise Of Copyright Behind Bars, Viva R. Moffat

Sturm College of Law: Faculty Scholarship

Incarcerated people produce vast amounts of creative and expressive work – from paintings and sculptures to essays, novels, music, and NFTs – but they are rarely described as artists and their work is often not described as 'art'. Incarcerated people also do not regularly take advantage of copyright law, the primary form of protection for creative works, but they should. Copyright provides a strong set of rights that combines strains of free expression values with property rights elements. Copyright confers dignitary and expressive benefits, and for some creators, financial rewards. As such, copyright can be a tool to help incarcerated …

Are You Ready To Rum-Ble? A Proposal On Fighting Trademark Infringement For Small Businesses, Paris O. Booker

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

No abstract provided.